Chapter 3: Hilary vs Hayato

After a few moments of awkward silence, Hilary felt disoriented as she stared into Hayato's cold, emotionless eyes. Meanwhile, Arthur, another hunter from the group, addressed her.

Arthur: "We'll make an exception for you. A weak girl like you can't survive against a monster like him. Change your examiner immediately!"

Hilary was irritated by Arthur's words. She knew very well that if it weren't for Hayato, the other examiners would have rejected her without any real reason—especially since one of those rejections had come from Arthur himself.

Hilary: "I won't change!"

Hayato jumped into the arena before the two sides could argue any further. Although the other examiners had already decided that Hilary didn't deserve to be a hunter, Hayato wanted to judge her for himself. He didn't care about the rules imposed by Rose on the hunters—he followed only his own.

Hayato: "Why do you want to be a hunter? According to my data, you've already failed the examination three times… Are you really that desperate to become a hunter? You'd be better off giving up."

Hilary screamed in protest.

Hilary: "DON'T GIVE ME THAT CRAP! Whether I give up or not is my choice—and nobody else gets to decide that!"

Hayato: "Oh? Then what's your reason? Fame? Glory? Wealth? Are you trying to make someone proud? Failing three times would have mentally crushed most people, so I want to understand why you're still trying."

Hilary bit her lip, her face flushed with frustration, and answered.

Hilary: "N-None of that… The reason I want to be a hunter is purely personal."

Hayato: "Oh, I know your reason. I just wanted to test your honesty."

Hilary: "IF YOU ALREADY KNOW, THEN DROP IT! But if you really want an answer—fame, glory, and wealth aren't worth becoming a hunter for."

Hayato: "At least you understand the stakes… Don't disappoint me in our match."

The silver-haired girl had a very feminine appearance, making one wonder what she was doing in an arena meant for fighters. As she took her stance, ready to give her all, something unsettled her—Hayato still had his hands in his pockets.

Up in the high seats, where the hunters sat alongside the queen, Daphne—the girl Ichiro had mentioned earlier—was seated next to the empty chair Hayato had left behind.

Daphne (speaking quietly so no one else could hear): "You're going for total humiliation, huh? That's cruel, Hayato."

The challenger made the first move. She quickly closed the distance between her and her opponent, launching a series of punches that would have landed on an average fighter. But Hayato effortlessly dodged every strike. Realizing her attacks were ineffective, she suddenly heard Hayato speak.

Hayato: "That was a blunder."

The moment those words left his mouth, Hilary found herself back at her starting position, an intense pain surging through her stomach.

Hilary: "If close-range isn't an option, then I'll just have to use my techniques."

Inside the Waiting Room

Jiro and the other applicants were watching the match from the waiting room.

Akihiko: "What happened? How did she get hit?"

Most of the applicants—and even the spectators—had missed the moment Hilary was thrown back. However, three people managed to see Hayato's movement.

Jiro: "He kicked her in the stomach."

The room fell silent. Everyone turned to the boy who had just described something that had happened in less than a fraction of a second.

Random Applicant: "How could you see that? That's absurd! You're making it up!"

Ichiro: "Sorry to disappoint you, but he's right. It might've been too fast for your eyes to follow, but the kid saw it correctly."

From a distance, Sakura, who had covered her mouth with the sleeve of her white robe, laughed softly and playfully.

Sakura: "You two have very good eyes."

She suddenly appeared behind Jiro—so quickly it looked like she teleported—and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

Sakura: "Do these beautiful brown eyes see anything else… more interesting?"

Technics are an advanced form of quartz energy.

Quartz is a type of energy formed by natural accumulation. While accessible to all living beings, it's extremely difficult to learn how to manipulate.

Beginner hunters typically start by using quartz energy in its basic forms: body enhancement, materialization, invocation, or metamorphosis.

A more advanced application is the use of techniques, which combine quartz energy with an element that the user is naturally compatible with. At an even higher level, users can manipulate pure energy, which can counter most techniques, or use the Quartik Zone—a projection of the user's reality onto others.

The fight between the challenger and the examiner raged on; the tension between them was palpable. Hilary leapt high into the air, her movement fluid and graceful, before calling out with determination:

Hilary: "Water Sphere!"

With a calm and focused gesture, a semi-sphere of water formed around Hayato, trapping him inside. Realizing her technique had succeeded, a joyful smile spread across her face. Her posture relaxed—her once-tense body now moved with renewed confidence. With her mind clearer and her anxiety subsiding, she grew more aggressive and followed up with another technique.

Hilary: "Aqua-Ray!"

Multiple attacks were launched from every direction within the sphere, all targeting Hayato. But he effortlessly evaded them and slowly walked out of the water dome. Hilary nearly lost her temper as she watched him casually dodge her strikes—it looked as if he were mocking her. Still, she reminded herself to stay calm and keep pressing forward.

Determined to land a hit, she activated another technique:

Hilary: "Water-Slicer."

But just as she focused on casting it, she lost track of Hayato. A sudden breeze from her left caught her attention. She turned—and there he was, mid-air, already poised to strike.

She tried to block the attack by reinforcing her arm with energy, but it wasn't strong enough. The impact landed hard on her left arm, sending a shock of pain through her. Her arm went numb, and she was thrown across the arena, rolling along the ground from the force.

Even though he had the perfect opportunity to finish her off, Hayato landed calmly.Hilary was being humiliated—right there in front of everyone.

Hayato: "If you have something more interesting to offer, I'm waiting."

Hearing those words made Hilary begin to doubt herself. It felt as though all her efforts had been effortlessly brushed aside—as if they meant nothing.

Arthur laughed loudly and mocked her in front of the other hunters.

Arthur: "Look at that failure being toyed with in the arena. Hayato's just playing with her."

Daphne: "Really? Then why don't you face Hayato yourself? I'm sure you'd win—with your pathetic level."

Arthur looked furious at Daphne, but he couldn't bring himself to respond.

Back in the arena, Hilary steadied her breathing and regained her composure. She prepared to launch her final attack in one last attempt to damage Hayato.

Hilary: "Quartik Zone: Ocean Blue."

As she spoke the words, Hayato was engulfed by Hilary's zone—a vast ocean in which he was now at her mercy.

Quartik Zones are projections of a user's reality onto their target. In other words, they are powerful illusions that trap the opponent. The advantage of using a Quartik Zone lies in the fact that if the target, unfamiliar with the illusion, panics or loses their composure, the caster can end the fight in a single blow. Even if that doesn't happen, all of the caster's techniques are amplified by 150%.

Hilary began launching a relentless series of enhanced attacks, but Hayato dodged them with the same ease as before. Before she could even realize it, he was above her—and before she could react, Hayato delivered a powerful kick to her head, sending her crashing to the ground.

The fight was over.

Hilary was too humiliated to lift her head. Hayato still wore that same uninterested expression in his eyes. She braced herself for rejection—again.

Hayato: "Stand up, Hilary. You're more than qualified to join my team."

She lifted her head in disbelief, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her face was bloodied, but she managed to smile faintly.

Hilary: "Thanks for hav—"

She collapsed mid-sentence. Her body had taken too much damage, and she had pushed herself far beyond her limits, using an unreasonable amount of energy throughout the fight. The medical team rushed in to retrieve her and administer first aid.

As Hayato returned to his seat, a voice suddenly rang out.

It was Arthur.

Arthur: "How on earth did she pass?! She couldn't even land a hit on you!!!"

Hayato didn't even look his way.

Daphne (cutting in): "As I said before—go face Hayato yourself and try to lay a finger on him. Since mocking him didn't get the point across, maybe a direct beating will help your tiny brain understand."

Arthur looked at her with fury, clearly wanting to lash out—but the moment he caught Hayato's eyes, he stopped cold.

Hayato's gaze said it all: "Touch her, and I'll kill you."

Arthur backed down without another word. Hayato returned to his seat, and the examination resumed.